March 2012

03/30/2012

At some point, most children experience some level of separation anxiety. If you have ever volunteered to serve in the church nursery, you have probably seen it. Parents leave their child in your hands. The child cries. He or she does not want the parents to leave. They promise they are coming back. For the rest of the time, the child keeps an eye on the door. Of course, the parents do come back and the child learns to take them at their word.

Jesus was leaving His disciples. They had a little separation anxiety. He points out two realities to them. First, He tells them they will be in good hands – the Holy Spirit. Second, He promises that He will come back. They had to learn to take Him at His word. We have never seen heaven, but we can know it exists. How? We can take Jesus at His word.

03/29/2012

As a parent, I want and expect my children to follow my instructions. This should be true whether I am present or not. In fact, it is more important to me that they follow my teachings when I am not around. As a child, I know there are two prime motivations for obeying your parents. One motivation is fear. You want to avoid discipline and correction. The other motivation is love. You want show love for your parents.

Jesus was about to leave His disciples. He had spent three years teaching them what to do and how to do it. Now He would no longer be with them. They claimed to love Him and be committed to His teachings. The proof would be in their actions. The same is true for Christ’s followers today. Confessing love is easy, but we must follow up with obedience.

03/28/2012

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” (NKJV)

Thank you, Philip! After three years of being with Jesus on a daily basis, you still did not quite get it. He had performed a host of miracles. He had taught in ways never heard before. He had told the disciples many times that He had come to show the Father. Now, Jesus was about to leave, and Philip had not quite grasped it.

I am not thankful that Philip did not fully understand what he had been seeing and hearing. I am grateful for the example. He was slow to understand and yet Jesus did not give up on him. Yes, Jesus asked Philip a tough question, but He did not give up on him. That means there is hope for me when I am slow to understand what God is doing.

03/27/2012

Early in my ministry, we were involved in a trio. We sang and I would preach. We did youth rallies and revivals all over the Ark-La-Tex area. Sometimes we had to go in places that were not on the beaten path. Often those who had booked us would tell us that the place was easy to find. In truth, it was easy for them, but not for us. The key for us was to have good directions.

Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure. He knew where He was going. He was returning to the Father in heaven. He had told His disciples where He was going. He told them they would be joining Him some day. But how would they find the way? The key was for them to have good directions. Fortunately for them and for us, Jesus left good directions. Just put faith in Him, and He will take care of it.